higgidy

Weekends to me, call for comfort food. Lazy lunches grazing and catching up on the past week. Sometimes I cook and create during my days off, some days I want to unwind and opt for convenient options. I believe in the 80/20 rule, sometimes it’s better to let someone else do the hard work, so you can enjoy some quality time with your loved ones. I needed convenience this weekend, and Higgidy came to the rescue.

I have many fond memories of long afternoons spent in our local park, picnic-ing under the summer skies. My parents had a good group of friends, all with little ones of similar ages, and we would all congregate on the grass for big picnics. We would run around, learn to ride our bikes, or spend hours testing out our new roller skates, and occasionally run back to the group to grab a snack and re-fuel. We must have clocked up a fair few hours in that lovely park. Whenever I go there now, those memories all come flooding back. I am grateful for a happy upbringing, with so much time spent outdoors.

We haven’t really had the right weather for picnics this year, and the British nation is patiently waiting some serious sunshine (rumour has it some heat is on its way this week). I decided that I wasn’t going to let the weather stop us from eating alfresco this weekend, so we opted for a garden picnic. Our new kitchen leads directly out into the back garden, so it’s handy for running back inside if it does start to rain, which coincidentally, it did! Picnic foods aren’t just great for alfresco dining, I love simple, quick bites that you can throw together for a quick, fuss free dinner in the week.

Whilst I try to make wholesome, homemade recipes most days, sometimes you just need something you can grab and go – right? That’s why I love Higgidy’s range of pies and quiches. Higgidy’s range of products offer a large range of delicious flavour combinations, and make a great picnic addition. Each product is handmade (no robots here) with love. I’m taking part in their #HiggidyPicnic and bringing this zesty quinoa and sweet potato salad along with me! Quinoa is great (incase you didn’t already know!) as it contains iron, magnesium, B vitamins, calcium, and is one of only a few plant-based foods that is a complete protein. It’s also vegan and gluten-free, yay!

A zesty, citrusy salad with quinoa and sweet potato. This salad is simple and makes a batch. The dressing is my go-to dressing at the minute. Perfect flavours for summer.

Rough Measures: Rough Measures

Cuisine: Picnic

Ingredients

1 sweet potato (scrubbed)

½ aubergine

1 cup / 190g quinoa (I used a mix of red and white)

S+P

Lemon thyme (optional)

DRESSING

½ cup/120ml extra virgin olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Handful fresh oregano

Olive Oil - for roasting

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 / 190 C

Chop the sweet potato and aubergine, place on a lined baking tray, scatter with S+P, lemon thyme (if using) and coconut oil. Place in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, or until the veg is soft.

Rinse your quinoa in a sieve under some cold water. Place in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Put on a hob and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and let it cook for 15 mins (you want to retain a little bite in the quinoa)

While that's cooking, make your dressing.

Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender (or into a jug and use a stick blender) and blitz for 10 seconds, taste and check for seasoning.

Once the quinoa has cooked, drain any excess liquid, then add the quinoa to a large mixing bowl.